Blur's Alex James calls Glastonbury overrated and "a gory drugs bender"

8 May 2026, 10:21

Blur's Alex James with Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage inset. Picture: Justin Goff Photos/Getty Images, Anna Barclay/Getty Images

By Jenny Mensah

The Blur bassist and Big Feastival founder has discussed the Somerset festival and suggested it has too much hype.

Loading audio...

Alex James has suggested Glastonbury is overrated, calling it "a gory drugs bender" compared to some European events.

The Blur bassist spoke about the famous Somerset festival in a recent interview with The Times, saying that it had too much hype.

Despite the britpop band playing the music event - which takes place on Worthy Farm in June - several times and headlining the Pyramid Stage in 1998 and 2000, the rocker-turned cheese farmer exclaimed: "you’d think it’s the only festival in the world".

The founder of Big Feastival - the food and culinary festival which takes place Cotswolds each year - added that European festivals such as Roskilde in Denmark are more "underrated" but "wonderful".

“Roskilde’s got amazing food because it’s Denmark, it’s just really civilised and the toilets are nice. It’s a wonderful, magical, Hans Christian Andersen fairytale of an event,” he said.

Read more:

Alex James may not have had much to say about Glastonbury, but there is one famous festival he's eyed up for future Britpop Classical dates: Coachella.

Blur played a set at the California festival back in 2024, which went viral for its lacklustre crowd, but quizzed if he'd return with Britpop Classical, the musician was far more positive.

“The booker from Coachella loves British rock music,” he told NME. “It’s popular all over the world. South America are loving the Britpop, which is what made me think this might actually work. These songs resonate all the world 30 years after they were written, so who knows what’s next?”

Asked if there's "no hard feelings" between himself and the festival after Blur's appearance, the 57-year-old musician maintained: “Coachella is the biggest festival in the world. As someone who runs a festival, I was impressed by that. I thought it was great.”

Alex James' Britpop Classical kicked off at London's Royal Albert Hall in March and returns for dates this summer, which include stops at Halifax's The Piece Hall and Latitude Festival 2026.

Visit britpopclassical.com for the remainder of the dates and to buy tickets.